Israel to Force Palestinians South of Gaza as Israelis Call for Nationwide Strike
Israel is preparing to displace Palestinians to southern Gaza as it moves ahead with its war expansion plans, reported the Associated Press (AP).
In the meantime, families of Israeli hostages called for a general strike in Israel on Sunday to protest military offensive expansion plans and demand an end to the 22-month war.
Displacing Palestinians
On Saturday, the Israeli military spokesperson said that the military will start relocating Gaza residents from combat zones to areas in the south of the enclave, adding that it will provide them with tents and other equipment starting from Sunday.
The spokesperson added that the UN and other international relief organizations will transfer the equipment via the Kerem Shalom crossing, after a thorough inspection process by Israeli personnel.
Although the Israeli military did not reveal when the mass displacement of Palestinians would take place, the Israeli Defense Minister, Israel Katz, said that Israel is in “the stage of discussions to formulate the plan to defeat Hamas in Gaza and return the hostages.”
Seizing Gaza City
The Israeli military’s announcement came days after Israel unveiled plans to launch a new operation to seize control of Gaza City in the north, the enclave’s largest urban center and shelter to one million Palestinians, amid growing international alarm over the fate of Gaza’s population.
In the light of this, the Israeli military intensified its airstrikes and bombardment on entire residential neighborhoods in and around Gaza City, according to Al-Ahram Online. Moreover, the Israeli military Chief of Staff, Eyal Zamir, will visit the Southern Command on Sunday to review operational plans before presenting them to the Defense Minister, reported the Times of Israel, citing Israeli military officials.
Demolishing Neighborhoods
On Saturday, the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor said that the Israeli military was razing Zeitoun neighborhood, southeast of Gaza City, to the ground, destroying around 400 homes by using remote explosive robots and quadcopters. The rights group said that the operation is part of a “systematic Israeli policy to complete the crime of genocide and erase Palestinian cities.”
The Gaza City’s municipality spokesperson told BBC that Israeli bombardment of Zeitoun neighborhood has created a “catastrophic” situation, forcing thousands of residents to flee the area, home to about 50,000 Palestinians, after six days of relentless Israeli air strikes, shelling and demolition operations.
Meanwhile, Gaza’s civil defense agency said that at least 70 people were killed by Israeli strikes on Saturday. In a statement, Hamas said that Israeli troops had been launching a “sustained offensive in the eastern and southern neighborhoods of Gaza City, particularly in Zeitoun.”
General Strike in Israel
The families of Israeli hostages and others have called for a one-day general strike in Israel to protest the government’s plan to seize Gaza City, fearing that the war expansion will put the hostages lives at greater risk. A group representing the hostages families called on Israelis to take to the streets on Sunday for a “nationwide day of stoppage.”
In a statement, the group said: “Across the country, hundreds of citizen-led initiatives will pause daily life and join the most just and moral struggle: the struggle to bring all 50 hostages home.”
Several universities, municipalities and companies in Israel have backed the strike, according to Israeli media. Furthermore, there are about 200 local demonstrations planned across Israel for Sunday, including two large protests in Tel Aviv. The Israeli opposition leader, Yair Lapid, also urged Israelis to join the strike. “Go on Strike on Sunday,” he posted on X.
